Annexation policy tops council agenda

If the Basehor City Council gives its approval, the city will have a plan for annexation in effect and could begin expanding the city`s limits within the next year.

The city`s planning commission looked at the plan last Wednesday and gave its approval, sending it to the city council with a favorable recommendation.

The council will likely vote on the plan during its meeting Monday night. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at city hall.

Code Administrator Mike Hooper said some residents in the area, who live in areas that could be annexed, attended the meeting in opposition of the plan, but the zoning commission voted 4-0 to recommend passage.

Among the major points of the plan is annexing land adjacent to the city that would keep boundaries straight and harmonious.

The plan also calls for annexing land adjacent to the city`s sewer interceptor lines and land where the city`s interceptor lines can logically and economically be extended and can be developed within the next 10 years. The plan would include land not adjacent to the city, but developed in urban fashion. According to the plan, such land should be considered for annexation upon voluntary petition by landowners.

The plan also calls for the use of voluntary annexation as a first choice, followed by unilateral annexation and finally, annexation by approval of the board of county commissioners.

The planning commission also sent to the city council with a favorable report, the request for a conditional use permit for an in-home beauty shop at 15810 Leavenworth Rd. Roger and Joanna McDowell submitted the request.

Finally, the planning commission recommended by a 4-0 vote, a rezoning request for land owned by John and Debra Bonee near the intersection of 144th and Parallel. The Brown`s are asking the city to rezone land from Industrial to Planned Industrial.

Hooper said the land in question was recently annexed by the city after construction had started with county approval. Because there was a setback problem with the buildings on the site, it would not fit in the city`s criteria for zoned industrial, but would be allowed under a planned industrial zone.